Squeaky Floors, what an Impression!

Yes, this is indeed an article about squeaky floors. Not about how to fix them, but rather the topic of squeaky floors! Sounds decidedly exciting, I know. But wait, I promise there is a lot more to the topic than meets the ear. Philosophically speaking, why do most of us think that squeaky floors are okay to have? I seriously question this. Let’s think about this for a minute, shall we?

Outdoors, when our lawn gets a little bit too long, we feel insecure and worry about what our neighbors may think. So we quickly pull out the noisy old mower and cut the grass. Even if it’s 7am while every other self-respecting, hard-working woman and man in the neighbourhood is trying to catch up on some sleep! (Perhaps that’s a topic for a different post)

When our wall paint starts to show wear, stains or begins to show cracks, we hurry to the hardware store. We try to squeeze in a couple of coats of paint before Christmas, because God forbid our guests figure out that we actually use the space we live in. We want our house to look like Buckingham palace!

The front door, a guest’s first impression (as well as last, perhaps). “Boy does it have to go! It’s so old and outdated. What is it, from the 80’s or something? Call the door guys, we need to get something new.” Really? I can understand if it’s letting in the Polar Vortex, but otherwise it will easily last another 20 years.

“Honey! When are we going to redo the bathroom?! This faucet is so old and covered in scale, the tiles are outdated and the toilet is not efficient. Should we start planning a renovation?” Fine, make the bathroom shiny and efficient, but hear me out…

Another popular way to add value to your home is to add livable space by finishing the basement. True… so now we are going to put a floor, walls, a ceiling, etc. Which leads me back to my main point; the squeaky floor directly above!

A squeaky floor is not just a surface nuisance; it is a symptom of a real issue in the floor. If left unchecked, this will become is a worsening and expanding issue. Yet nobody seems to notice, nobody seems to care. Somehow it is standard to mow your lawn and paint your walls, but leaving a floor to squeak is somehow the normal thing to do. I mean isn’t it a little bit crazy, that someone would go as far as finishing an entire basement, into a shiny new space, yet they would leave the noisy and annoying squeaky floor above?

A creak in your floor is not always just a small movement between a couple of hardwood boards. More often than not there is a structural issue involved. It could be loose or weakened joists, loosening connections, rotting subfloor and joists, loose fasteners and much, much more, which could be compromised inside the structure of your home.

Now back to my original philosophical point: If a rather trivial concept of a trimmed lawn is so important to a home owner, then how could squeaky floors be left completely overlooked? How can a potential home buyer come into a house, step on a squeak and turn a deaf ear? How could a young family with a young child, sleep at night, not only with all the noise in their floors but knowing that their home isn’t feeling well either.

So next time a renovation project comes to mind, think about how wonderfully the reno will turn out when you can enjoy the fruits of your labour without a pesky reminder of the reason you started the project in the first place; a desire for great first and lasting impression!